Double Debut: Kokam Releases UXV Battery at First Unmanned Trade Show in the United States
Photo: Kokam
South Korea’s Kokam Co. Ltd., a first time exhibitor at an unmanned systems tradeshow in the United States, is debuting its new Ultra High Energy nickel manganese cobalt battery technology at Xponential.
The battery is the densest available on the market, according to Kokam’s Ike Hong, vice president of the power solution division, coming in at 265 watt-hours per kilogram.
Using nickel manganese cobalt provides this density, as well as increased chemical stability, meaning that unmanned air, ground and maritime systems that use these batteries will see a big difference in safety and operating time versus lithium-ion batteries, which have a density of about 150–200 watt-hours per kilogram.
“Comparing the numbers, let’s take 200, our battery has 30 percent more energy density than those other batteries. It means that you can have 30 percent longer flying time than other batteries, so if somebody can run one hour using that battery, you can run about an hour and 20 minutes,” says Hong.
The batteries can be configured specifically for any unmanned air, ground, maritime or surface vessel, says Hong, likening configuring battery cells to placing the right sized LEGO in an empty space. Each cell is available in capacities ranging from 10–240 ampere-hours.
Nickel manganese cobalt’s chemical stability makes it the go-to battery for many forms of manned transit, like commercial aircraft, electric cars and submarines, says Hong.
With these batteries, users can cut down on how often they need to replace batteries as well. Today, drone manufacturers typically replace batteries every 30 to 50 times they are used, says Hong, but the lifecycle of the Ultra High Energy battery is three to four times longer than typical batteries. The product is also hot swappable, so battery life can be extended on a mission.
“Instead of buying four existing lithium batteries, they can buy one Kokam battery, and they can use [it] four times longer over the life of the UAV,” says Hong. “It’s another big benefit for drone or UAV customers, because they don’t want to replace batteries all the time.”
The company is exhibiting in Booth #1572.
